


Exploring New Horizons

by Written_In_Blue_Ink



Category: My Time At Portia (Video Game)
Genre: Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-02-09 13:08:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18638749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Written_In_Blue_Ink/pseuds/Written_In_Blue_Ink
Summary: In an effort to find herself, Einsle moves into her absent father’s old workshop in Portia. But Portia has more to offer her than she ever expected.





	1. A New Day, A New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Einsle moves in to her Pa's workshop and beings a new life in Portia.

In her tiny room, Einsle read and re-read the letter her Pa had sent. 

_Einsle!_

_When you read this letter, I will already be on the other side of the world. I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry that I'm not the father you wanted me to be. This was all so sudden, so I didn't have much time to tell you or figure out how to take care of you. Then I thought about my old workshop! It might not look like much now, but it will brace you from the wind and cover you from the rain. I have left my Workshop Handbook that details how I created things in my workshop. The rest is up to you. Do your best and live a wonderful life! You will always be my pride and joy!_

_Pa_

He’d only been home for a few days after his last adventure. Now he was gone again. She’d hoped that maybe he’d stay this time or take her with him. 

“Oh, Einsle,” Aunt Kendra said from the doorway. “I’m so sorry.”

Einsle looked up at her aunt with a weak smile, hazel green eyes glittering with unshed tears. 

“Guess, I’m used to it by now,” she said, bitter and sad.

Kendra came to sit next to her on the bed, putting a comforting arm around her niece’s shoulders.

“I know that this is hard for you, sweetheart,” the older woman said, reaching up to smooth back Einsle’s thick brown bangs. “Your father has always been this way, even when he was with your mother.”

Einsle nodded. She well knew how her father was. As a child, she’d loved his visits. He’d brought back all sorts of relics and stories. Once she was grown, Einsle had thought that he would take her with him. 

Everyday, she’d practiced her building skills. Hoping, hoping, that he’d see her skills and bring her along. Here she was, now 21, and he’d left her behind again.

Kendra reached for the letter, but as she did another piece of paper fluttered to the ground. Curious, Einsle picked it up. Behind the letter, there had been a deed for his old workshop in Portia. Beside her, Kendra looked between the two papers. 

“Portia, huh?” She said, thoughtfully. “Your Ma always wanted to go back there. She and Maurice always described it as the most beautiful place they’d ever been.”

Einsle remembered that. On rare occasions, he’d tell her about his home city and the beauty it held. Here in the dry and sandy lands of Barnarock, she couldn’t even begin to imagine the lush green scenery. It had to be like something out of one of the paintings in the Church of Light. 

“I think you should do it,” Kendra said, breaking the silence. 

Confused, Einsle looked over at her. The older woman raised an eyebrow at her. 

“Take up your Pa’s old workshop,” She said, waving the letter. “You’re withering away here in Barnarock.”

Her expression softened when her niece cast her head down.

“I know that you’re restless here, sweetheart,” she said gently. “You’re so young and you have so much life ahead of you. It doesn’t have to be forever. Go find yourself and become your own woman.”

Einsle sniffled and leaned into her aunt. The older woman wrapped her in a hug and they sat together like that until Einsle wiped away her tears.

“Okay,” Einsle said breathlessly. “I’ll do it.”

-

The sea glittered brightly under the brilliant sunlight as the ship to Portia cut through the waves. Einsle leaned excited over the railing to catch her first glimpse of Portia. Even at this distance, she would see the abundance of green that covered as far as the eye could see. 

Behind her, she could hear the captain of the ship chuckle. 

“We’ll be there soon,” Wuwa said as he watched her. 

“It’s so beautiful,” she said, dazzled by just how different it was from Barnarock. 

“That it is. So what’re your plans? Some ruin diving? A little sightseeing?” He asked, as the ship slowed for approaching the docks.

She closed her eyes for a moment to enjoy the sea breeze, considering her response.

“It’s… something like that,” she said, opening her eyes and ignoring the way her eyes stung. It was from the salty air, she told herself. 

“Ay, it’s good to be young and adventurous. We see a few like you every once in a while,” he said as he navigated to the dock, dropping the anchor. “Well, good luck to ya.”

Einsle smiled at the man. Good luck was certainly something she would need. All she had to her name right now was a backpack full of her belongings and a bit of Gol.

“Thank you,” she replied, hefting her backpack onto her shoulders and leaping over the railing of the ship when it finally came to a halt at the docks.

-

Whatever Einsle had expected of her grand adventure to Portia, the rickety old workshop that Pa had left her wasn’t quite it. She’d expected something a little… grander? Pa had been a pretty famous builder in these parts, or so she’d thought.

The man who had guided her here, Presley, cleared his throat. He’d introduced himself as an old friend of her Pa’s before bringing her to the workshop. Pa had never really spoken of any of his friends from Portia before, but he’d been kind enough when he'd greeted her.

“I know this place as seen some wear and tear, but when your Pa told me you would be coming, I had it cleaned up for you,” he said. “There is still some work to be done, but what do you think?”

Looking up at the old building, Einsle felt the anxiety of just how much her life was changing, but she also felt a spark of belonging. This was hers now. 

“It looks… like home,” she said finally. 

Presley smiled, obviously relieved. 

“I know you’re tired from your trip and want to get settled in. I’ve left a few basic necessities for you,” he said, turning to face her. “In the morning, come by the Commerce Guild and we’ll see about getting you your Builder’s License.”

Einsle nodded, too tired to argue with that. Some part of her wanted to push through and get her License now, to prove herself worthy of her Pa’s workshop, but a powerful yawn convinced her to turn in for the evening.

“Alright, then,” she said, covering up her yawn.

“The Commerce Guild is in Peach Plaza, right as you go into the gate. You can’t miss it,” Presley said. “Get some rest now.”

Einsle waived goodbye as the man headed through the gate into town.

The wooden door to the Workshop opened with a shrill sound. Wincing, Einsle made a note to oil it before closing it behind her. Fortunately, there was power when she flipped the switch to illuminate the workshop.

The workshop had clearly been abandoned for some time. A bed had been provided with clean linen on it much to her eternal gratitude. In the corner, there was a much loved chest of drawers. On top of it rested an old leather bound book. She could see what most likely led to the bathroom in the corner. Hopefully, they had plumbing similar to Barnarock’s.

Setting her bag down by the bed, Einsle wandered over to the book. The outside wasn’t particularly special and it had obviously been well used. Flipping it open, she found it full of hand drawn diagrams and notes in a familiar scrawl.

“Pa’s Workshop Handbook,” she said, a little breathless with wonder. There weren’t many diagrams inside much to her confusion, but still it was obvious that it had belonged to her father just from the handwriting. 

Despite her exhaustion, Einsle ended up reading late into the night until she fell into sleep mid-page; handbook nestled on her chest. 

-

The next morning came all to quickly. Bright light seeped into the room from the windows. With a groan, Einsle threw an arm over her eyes and tried to ignore it. She’d almost fallen back asleep when the sound of a rooster startled her back awake.

Startled, the young woman sat up, handbook flying from her chest to land with a thump. The events of the day before came back to her and Einsle realized that she wasn’t back in her Barnarock room. This was her new workshop in Portia. 

“I can’t believe it,” she mumbled to herself as she slipped out of bed. A cool spring draft had her shivering. Despite his best efforts, it looks like Presley hadn’t been able to fix up the whole house. “I’ll have to fix that up.”

Stretching, Einsle considered what she needed to do today. Of course getting her Builder's License would be the first and foremost goal for the day. However, she wouldn’t be able to live on what little she with her. Some shopping would be in order as well. 

“Well, better get started,” she said as she picked up her discarded jeans from yesterday and pulled them on. Her favorite yellow t-shirt was traded for a plain white cotton one. Grabbing her wallet and jacket, Einsle set out from the workshop. 

“He said it was right through the gate,” she said, closing the door and locking it as she left. The large stone gate was hard to miss. The whole of the city proper was surrounded by a white stone wall. 

Einsle trailed her fingers over the stone as she passed through the gate, admiring the architecture. Some of the townsfolk peered curiously at her as she passed through, before losing interest. Undoubtedly, they got more than a few visitors considering their location between the other cities. She wasn’t so different from any of the other tourists. 

The Commerce Guild, indeed, wasn’t hard to find. Front and center, it stood tall and proud in the plaza. It was still fairly early in the morning, but the door was unlocked when she tired it. Inside, the two story building was immaculate. The white and blue wooden walls were so different from the dusty red brick most buildings were made from in Barnarock. 

A slender young man with bright pink hair greeted her as she walked in. 

“Good morning! You must be Einsle,” he said, holding his hand out for a shake. “I’m Antoine and we’ll be seeing each other a lot once you get your license.”

Einsle shook his hand, feeling more at ease with how friendly the reception was. 

“Thank you, Antoine. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said with a small smile. “I love your hair.”

Antoine smiled coyly and smoothed his hair back. He went to comment on it, but Presley came in the door behind her, interrupting their conversation. 

“Ah, there you are. How was your first night in Portia?” he asked, as he approached the two young adults. 

With an apologetic look to Antoine, Einsle turned to face the man. 

“I slept well. I really appreciate you setting things up for me,” she said. 

Presley waved a hand dismissively. 

“Not at all, my dear. When your Pa sent word that you’d be coming to take over his workshop, I was thrilled,” he said, motioning her over to a desk in the corner by what looked to be a commission board. “A few of the townsfolk even chipped in some of their unused furniture to help you get started.”

That honestly surprised Einsle. While folks in Barnarock weren’t unfriendly, the city wasn’t quite as close knit as she was finding Portia to be. She would have to find out who had pitched in and make sure to thank them for the kindness.

Presley sat down behind the desk and shuffled through a few papers. 

“Now, I believe your Pa said that you have a Builder’s License from the Barnarock branch,” he said as he scanned a few of the papers. 

“Yes, I have a provisional license. I was going to take the test before I came to Portia, but well, my plans changed a bit,” She said, pulling out a paper from her jacket pocket and placing it on the desk. “Here it is.”

Presley picked it up and nodded. 

“Alright then, it’s no problem for us to finish the test here. The license will be good in any of the cities that accept the Commerce Guild’s credentials,” he said, picking up a stamp from the desk and stamping the Portia Commerce Guild seal onto the provisional license. “Now I am sure Barnarock has their own methods for testing, but I just want to see what you can do.”

He shuffled through the papers, before handing her what looked like a commission. She took the paper and glanced over it. 

“For the first part of your test, I would like you to craft a stone axe and pickaxe,” Presley said, peering over his glasses at her with a reassuring smile. “Your Pa’s old workbench is still in the yard. Why don’t you check and may sure it’s still working?”

Einsle nodded, tucking the paper into her pocket along with her provisional license. She’d crafted a few pickaxes and stone axes while training for the Builder’s Test in Barnarock, so this should be easy enough. 

“Thanks, Presley,” she said, smiling at the man with genuine appreciation. “I’ll have them to you as soon as possible.”

“Take your time, my dear. You’re still getting settled in,” he said, standing up to see her out the door. “Why don’t you visit the market first and grab a bite to eat. I’m sure you must be famished.”

On queue her stomach rumbled to remind her that she hadn’t eaten since lunchtime the day before. Sheepish, she rubbed her stomach. 

“That sounds like a good idea,” she said, before heading to the door and out into the bright sunlight.

-

The city was finally beginning to fully wake up as Einsle made her way down to the market. Several children passed her on their way to the schoolhouse. A few adults rushed through the streets, obviously running a bit behind schedule. 

A small bakery near the end of the street caught her eye and the aroma led her to it. A neat row of freshly baked bread had been stacked by the cash register. Nearby a woman with curly blonde hair was bidding her son goodbye as he raced off. 

Einsle came up to the stall, considering buying a loaf to take home with her. The woman turned to her with a smile sensing a sale no doubt.

“Hello, dear. How can I help you?” She asked, moving closer to the register and the possible sale.

“Good morning, ma’am. I just moved into Portia, so I was taking a look around the town,” she replied, but her focus was on the mouth watering aromas wafting from the bakery. 

The woman tittered, eyes glittering as if she’d heard something interesting.

“Oh, you must be the new Builder the mayor mention in our fireside meeting the other day,” she said, clasping her hands with Einsle’s. “It’s so lovely to meet you. I’m Martha and I run the bakery here in town.”

Taken aback, Einsle could only let the woman shake her hand. She didn’t think it would be that exciting for a new Builder to move into town. 

“Ah, it’s a pleasure, Martha,” she said. “Your bakery smells lovely; I’m sure I’ll be here often.”

The older woman smiled brightly, pleased with the compliment. 

“Let me welcome you properly to Porta, dear,” Martha said, pulling out a small linen bag and placing two loaves of bread into it. “Consider this my welcoming gift.”

Einsle tried to argue with her, but it was obvious that the baker wouldn’t let her leave with nothing. Finally, she was able to pay for a mushroom crepe and left with two loaves of bread and some freshly baked cookies. 

The rest of the citizens she met turned out to be just as generous. Paulie, a large intimidating man running the Best Brother furniture shop, greeted her enthusiastically, asking her how she liked the dresser he’d donated to her new home. The husband and wife duo, Mars and Carol, who ran the Clothing Store and Total Tools also greeted her with no less enthusiasm. 

Her head spun a bit as she picked out some new clothes and a few choice pieces of stone for her Builder’s test. By the end, she found herself making her way back to the workshop as quickly as possible. No one in Barnarock had been this excited about anyone moving in. The openness of Portia was a pleasant surprise, but a bit overwhelming to her. 

The door of her Workshop couldn’t shut behind her fast enough. Einsle dropped her bags by the door and flopped down onto her bed. By now it was midday and she already felt exhausted. Still, inside her heart, she felt at peace for the first time. 

Sitting up, she grabbed the Workshop Handbook from the bed and set about changing into her new work clothes. She’d already spent most of the Gol she’d saved up on the clothes and materials. The faster she finished her test, the better. 

The orange jacket and pants weren’t her ideal colors, but Einsle would rather not ruin her only good clothes. Next she dug out her tool kit from her rucksack. She highly doubted that any tools her Pa had left would be usable by now after so many years.

Satisfied with herself, Einsle headed out to the workbench. Just as she’d thought, the tools were in rough shape, rusted or broken. She managed to salvage a few things, but most she set off to the side to use as scraps. 

“Alright, time to get to work,” she said, picking up the stones and starting to chisel away at them.

-

By the time she had finished putting the pickaxe and axe together, the sun had already begun to set. Despite the cool spring air, sweat beaded on her forehead as she stepped back to admire her handy work. Maybe she’d spent a bit more time than usual making sure it was absolutely perfect, but it had been worth it. 

Wiping the sweat off her brow, she glanced over out toward the ocean. Her breath caught in her throat. The fading golden rays of sunlight glittered across the water. She’d seen a lot of sunsets, but this one certainly out did them. It hit her then that this was her home now. She’d get to see this everyday. 

“Pa… is this what you meant?” she asked, “I think you’re right. Portia _is_ the most beautiful place.”

It wasn’t quite forgiveness, but she did feel grateful that her father had left this place for her. She would work hard to make this her own and become a builder in her own right. Determined, Einsle gathered up the tools and set off for the Commerce Guild before it closed. 

Antoine greeted her as she walked in. She gave him a friendly smile in return, but strode quickly over to the desk where Presley was still working away.

“Ah, you’ve brought them. Please set them down here,” he said, pushing some papers to the side. When she sat them down, he began studying the two tools intently. Occasionally he would make a thoughtful hm until he was finally satisfied. 

“Good work! Excellent quality. I wanted to see what you were capable of and I am not disappointed. These are for you to keep. A Builder needs their tools after all,” he said, handing them back to Einsle. “Now onto your second test, I want you to build a Stone Furnace.”

Now this would be an actual test of her building skills, but she had seen the diagram in her Pa’s Workshop Handbook. 

“You’ve got it,” she replied, “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Don’t work yourself too hard,” Presley said, but even he could tell that it was useless advice. “You’ve got your Pa’s work ethic.”

Einsle’s smile faded a bit. She actually didn’t know much about her Pa’s building habits. Never once that she could remember had she ever seen him at work. 

“Um, Thanks! I should get going now,” she said, before bidding the two goodbye and walking quickly out of the guild. The young woman wasn’t quite sure how to feel.

As she walked toward the gate back to her Workshop, the mouthwatering scent of cooking food wafted through the plaza and distracted her from the heavy thoughts. The restaurant across the way was starting to get busy she noticed. Already several of the townsfolk were already making their way inside. Einsle looked on longingly, but after her purchases today, she really couldn’t afford it. 

_It’s plain bread for me tonight_ , she thought before turning away. Tonight she would study hard and then get to work on the stone furnace bright an early. And then just maybe she would treat herself to a nice, but inexpensive, meal to celebrate getting her license.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this isn't the most original, but I just can't get enough character interaction from MtaP. I just had to write my own. I haven't written anything to post in a long time so I hope I'm not too rusty.


	2. A License to Build

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Einsle gets her license and finally gets to start on her first commission. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned and someone isn't happy to have a new Builder in town.

Morning came entirely too early for Einsle’s taste. Though that was mostly due to the fact that she’d been up late pouring over the stone furnace diagram. It hadn’t been the best decision.

Wearily, she dragged herself out of her bed and stretched. Her back popped loudly. Spending several hours hunched over the worktable wasn’t great for her back. She’d have to remember to make a chair for future projects. 

Putting on her orange suit again and tying back her hair, Einsle grabbed a half-loaf of bread and munched on it as she made her way out of the workshop. While the spring weather was loads better than in Barnarock, she didn’t want to be out in the sun at midday. 

The door opened and she froze, bread stuffed into her mouth, as she came face to face with a pretty blonde woman. Her startled expression was equally mirrored on the woman’s face as she’d been just about to knock on the door.

“M so’orry,” Einsle said, around her mouth full of bread. This seemed to snap the other young woman out of her surprise. 

“No, it’s alright. It’s my fault for coming by so suddenly,” she said, smiling so sincerely that Einsle thought it might be more blinding than the morning sun. “I’m Emily. I live at the farm just across from you with my granny and we both wanted to welcome you to Portia.”

She presented a small wicker basket covered by a cloth. Graciously, Einsle accepted the basket. Through the cloth covering it, she could smell the scent of a freshly baked pumpkin pie. 

“‘Ish ‘mells good,” she said before realizing the piece of bread was still in her mouth. Einsle smiled apologetically and finished the bite of bread. “Sorry. It smells really good and I'm really grateful to you both. I’m Einsle. It's nice to meet you.”

Emily laughed, covering her mouth to hide her mirth. 

“Granny’s homemade pumpkin pies are the best,” she said before glancing at the sun. “I have to go finish feeding the animals. Welcome to Portia, Einsle! If you need anything, please stop by.”

Einsle waved as Emily headed back down the patch toward the farm. Her stomach grumbled loudly. 

“A slice of pie for breakfast never hurts, right?” 

-

Einsle had never crafted a Stone Furnace before, but as she stepped back from it, she couldn’t help but feel proud. She’d put together the cooling basin easily enough, but the stone furnace had been a bit of a challenge. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but she’d crafted it herself. 

“Einsle!”

She looked up from her handy work, to see Presley waving from the fence gate. 

“Oh! You’re just in time,” she said, wiping her hands off on a ragged cloth. “I’ve finished the furnace.”

“I had hoped you might,” he said as he made his way to her side. “I wouldn’t want you to try to carry it all the to the guild, so I came by to check on you.”

Presley circled the furnace, crouching every so often to check a detail. Einsle waited nervously as he inspected it. Despite how kind he had been to her, she knew that he couldn’t be biased in his judgement. 

“The construction is sound. It has a sturdy build,” he said, coming back to her with a large smile. “Congratulations! You’ve passed your Builder’s Test.”

This was it. This is what she’d been studying for and practicing for. Finally, she was an official Builder. If only her Pa could be there to see… It was a bit bittersweet. 

Smiling widely, Einsle accepted his congratulations. It was better not to dwell on the disappointment and just focus on the positive. 

“Now, come by the guild first thing in the morning to get your license. Then you can go to the Mayor’s office to name your workshop” he said. “Just think, tomorrow you’ll be able to start on your first commission.

Einsle’s smile faded a bit. 

“Ah, yeah, of course! I’ll be there bright and early,” she said, smiling widely to hide her panic. She waited until Presley had left to dash inside the house. 

“Oh, no, oh, no,” she moaned, “I didn’t even think of a name in all this time.”

Flipping to the back of the Workshop Handbook, Einsle began to scribble ideas on a blank page. 

-

The opening of the Commerce Guild building couldn’t come early enough. Antoine chuckled as he passed the anxiously waiting Einsle. Presley nodded at her, following Antoine up the steps. 

Einsle followed after them, wringing her hands. The Commerce Guild somehow felt even larger that on the first day that she had arrived. 

“You don’t have to be so nervous you know,” Antoine said as he settled into his spot behind the desk. “Pres said you passed with flying colors.”

Einsle smiled weakly at him. This had been her dream for so long. It felt surreal that it was finally happening. 

“Thanks, Antoine,” she said, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “This has just been my dream for so long.”

“You don’t have to dream any longer. Congratulations again, Einsle,” Presley said, as he came to present her Builder’s License. “Here is your Builder’s License.”

With shaky hands, Einsle took the license from him. Tears stung at her eyes. 

“Once you talk to the mayor and register your workshop, you can finally take on commissions,” Presley said, clapping a hand onto the young woman’s shoulder. “Now off to the mayor you go, Ms. Builder. The mayor’s office is just next door.”

Thanking him profusely, Einsle hurried out the door as another person went in. The man glanced at her as she passed, dark eyes narrowing, but she didn’t pay him any mind. With her license clamped tightly to her chest, Einsle skipped down the stairs to the mayor’s office. 

The mayor’s office wasn’t quite as prominent as the guild itself, but Einsle felt no less nervous. Pushing the door open, Einsle took a big breath and did her best to smile.

The mayor was a short, portly man with ginger hair. When she entered, he was busily working on some papers, pen flying across them as he signed. He didn’t seem to hear her come in, so she walked to the desk and cleared her throat.

He stopped working and looked up. His confusion was plain for a few moments before realization seemed to come to him.

“Ah, you must by Einsle. Welcome, welcome,” he said, setting his pen aside and holding out his hand. “I’m Gale, the mayor of this town.”

Einsle shook it firmly. 

“Nice to meet you. Presley said I needed to come an register my workshop,” she said, holding out her Builder’s License. 

“Wonderful! It’s so good to see young people getting involved in the telesis of our world,” he said as he walked over to a nearby shelf and pulled off an old book. He flipped through a few pages before landing on a particular page. “Now, what will be the name of your workshop?”

She’d spent almost the night trying idea after idea. Nothing had felt right and she’d almost gone with naming it after herself as many builders did, but a name had come to her as she’d laid half-asleep in bed.

“My workshop name will be _New Horizons_ ,” she said, feeling a weight lifted from her shoulders. It was a little cheesy how symbolic the name was, but it didn't make it any less true. This was her new horizon to explore.

The name flowed like water onto the page as Gale copied it down into his book.

“An excellent name,” he said, stamping her Builder’s License with the Portia seal. “Congratulations, my dear.”

Einsle accepted the license back, admiring the red Portia seal on it. She was now a fully fledged Builder.

“I’m sure you’re eager to get your first commission,” Gale said, smiling kindly at her. “Hurry back to the guild before they’re all gone.”

“Thank you, mayor!” She said, turning to hurry out the door. Her first real commission! How exciting. She barreled back through the guild door, holding her license aloft. “Presley, I’m ready for my first commission.”

Presley turned from his conversation with Antoine. He chuckled at the enthusiastic Builder.

“Your Pa would be so proud of you,” he said, as she skipped up to Antoine’s desk. He slipped a hand into his coat and brought out a piece of paper. “Now usually, we post workshop commissions every day on the board. At the end of the week, we rank each workshop based on the speed and quality of their work.”

He pointed to a board at the back of the room on the staircase. Einsle nodded along. 

“So there’s other workshops in Portia?” She asked, though if there _weren’t_ any other workshops she’d be more surprised. 

“Including yours, there are now five workshops in Portia. Now the ranking system…” Presley continued on, but Einsle was only half paying attention. Long explanations were hard for her to focus on. Diagrams were so much easier to understand.

Dimly, she heard the door open behind her and Antoine give a rather surly greeting.

“Anyway,” he said, snapping her out of her daze. “Since this is your first commission, I’ve kept one just for you.”

He held out the paper that he’d been holding. Einsle reached out to take the paper. Just as her hand touched it, someone else reached between them and yanked the commission out of Presley’s hands. 

She turned to look at the man who’d come up beside them. Vaguely, she recognized him from just early that morning. She’d passed him on the way out of the guild on the way to the mayor’s office. 

He sneered at Presley, his dark brows furrowing. 

“I thought something was going on. Playing favorites are we?” He said, glancing at Einsle with nothing but disdain. 

Presley frowned at the man, clearly not impressed by his behavior. 

“Higgins, you know the rules! You’ve already taken one today,” Presley reprimanded him. 

That didn’t seem to faze the dower man. Higgins waved the commission paper dismissively and turned away. 

“There are never too many commissions,” Higgins said, smarmily. “Good day!”

Higgins slammed the door shut as he left the guild. Antoine stuck his tongue out at him as he left. Fists clenched, Einsle glared at the door. It was like being back in Barnarock, surrounded by her mostly male peers. 

“That man…” Presley said, rubbing a hand over his face wearily. “He’s the owner of the current number one workshop in Portia. He’s an excellent business man, but the way he does things…”

He turned to look at Einsle with an apologetic smile. 

“I’m sorry, that was our last one for toda-“ He started to say. 

**BANG**

The doors to the guild flew open. Startled, everyone turned to look toward the door half expecting it to be Higgins again, but this time a young man stood in the open door way. 

He swaggered into the building, letting the doors fall shut behind him. His slight smirk, rough facial hair, and the sword on his back all spelled trouble to Einsle. She put her hands on her hips, ready to let him have a piece of her mind about abuse of property, when he began to speak.

“Hey, Pres. I’ve got a job for ya,” he said, much politer than Einsle was expecting.

Beside her, Presley lit up. Clearly, this man wasn’t some random door vandal. 

“You’re just in time, Arlo,” he said, gesturing for the man to come over. “What’s the job?”

The man, Arlo, looked at Einsle curiously, his blue eyes analyzing her. Einsle refused to look away despite feeling exposed by his gaze. Judging by the sword strapped to his back, he had to be some kind of soldier or adventurer. She’d met more than a few of them back in Barnarock and they were usually crude and annoying. She refused to be intimidated by him.

His gaze drifted back over to Presley. 

“The mayor has approved building a bridge to Amber Island,” Arlo said, crossing his arms. 

Presley nodded and made a thoughtful hm.

“So the mayor finally put up the Gol to build it?” Presley said, thoughtfully. He clasped a hand on Einsle’s shoulder and pulled her in front of him. “Well, I believe that young Einsle here is more than up to the task. She is Portia’s newest builder.”

Arlo uncrossed his arms and put a hand on his hip, mirroring her earlier pose. His red hair obscured part of his face, but Einsle could still feel the weight of his gaze. He rubbed at the red scruff of hair on his chin thoughtfully. 

“The mayor thinks it’ll be a great tourist attraction, what with the haunted cave and all,” he said, but it sounded like he wasn’t quite convinced himself. “If you think you’re up to it, the job is yours.”

He held out the commission contract for Einsle to take. Hesitantly, she took the paper from him, looking over the details. Her breath caught at the sum of money being offered in payment.

“Yes, sir!” Einsle said, voice cracking only a little bit. She tried for her best professional smile. “I’ll do my best.”

That seemed to satisfy Arlo. He nodded to them both an headed back out the door. 

Einsle slumped with a weary sigh. What a wild ride her morning had been already. Presley gave her shoulders a comforting squeeze. 

“You’ll do great,” he said. “Now just a few more things…”

-

Einsle didn’t leave the guild for another hour. Presley had a few more pointers for her and then he gave her a few of the books kept in the guild for her to look over. 

It was already late into the morning by then and her stomach was rumbling loudly. The aroma from the Round Table was tempting, but Einsle reminded herself that she had to make her funds stretch until she could take on commissions that wouldn’t take so much time to finish. At least Presley had told her that she could take on citizen commissions while working on city commissions. 

With a sign, Einsle hurried by the restaurant and through the gate back to her workshop. Just as she came through the gate, a man came around from the side of the wall. 

Einsle only had a second of surprise before she collided face first with his chest. The books in her arms jabbed uncomfortably into her, but the expected meeting with the ground never happen. 

“Miss, are you alright?” 

Einsle opened her eyes to find that the man she’d collided with had kept them both from falling. She hastily pulled away.

“I’m really sorry!” She said, mortified with herself for not paying attention. “I’m just fine, but I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

The man chuckled. He dusted off his jacket and bent down to pick up a piece of paper that had fallen in their collision. He glanced at it briefly before handing it back. 

It was the commission that she’d received early. Her carelessness had almost led to her losing it.

“You must be the new builder that the Captain mentioned,” he said, holding out a hand for her to shake. “I’m Remington of the Civil Corps. If you’ve got any troubles, just let me know and I’ll try to make it go away.”

Einsle blushed as she shook his hand. Was he flirting with her or was that sincere? Looking at his earnest face, she decided that he was most likely being sincere. Was everyone in Portia so welcoming? Well, besides that Higgins guy.

“Thank you, Remington. I’m Einsle,” she said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise. You be careful from now on, alright?” Remington said, before continuing on with his patrol. 

“Y-yeah…” Einsle said, weakly, but he was already walking along the path past the city gate. A light blush covered her cheeks.

Hurrying away to her workshop, Einsle hoped drowning herself in diagrams would clear her head. This was no time to be distracted. She had a bridge to build after all.


	3. Funny Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Einsle has a ruin-ous adventure, but thankfully everyone's favorite Civil Corp captain is around to keep Portia safe.

Building a bridge was a lot more involved than Einsle had been expecting. Still, between the books from the guild and her Pa’s handbook, she’d already worked out how to assemble it. The hardest part would be getting the materials down to the construction site. 

She’d already been in Portia for a week now and was slowly getting into a routine. In the morning, she hurried to the guild to grab a commission before coming back to work on smelting and cutting wood. Midday, she would go into the abandoned ruins for ores and relics. During the afternoon, Einsle focused on the commission she’d picked up so she could deliver it before the day ended. 

The work was exhausting, but every night, Einsle fell into bed feeling accomplished with her work. Unfortunately, she was reaching the end of what she was capable of doing on her own. She needed machinery for a few of the things for the bridge. 

She’d noticed that some of the other builders around town had equipment that she’d never seen. Not that she was snooping, but it was always good to have an idea of what the competition was doing. Maybe it also had a little to do with feeling a bit inadequate. 

By the end of the week, she finally decided to approach Presley about her lack of tools. 

“I wondered when you would ask. You’ve inherited your Pa’s stubbornness,” he said, chuckling to himself. “He always tried to do everything by himself.”

Einsle grimaced. She did have a habit of trying to do everything on her own. 

“The Research Center can provide you with diagrams from the Old World,” Presley continued on. “But they only accept payment in the form of data discs.” 

Well, that was both good and bad for her. Einsle didn’t have much Gol to spend, but she also didn’t have many data discs either. She’d only begun diving into the Abandoned Ruins a few days ago thanks to the help of that Civil Corps member she’d run into, Remington. He’d taken the time to explain it and even gave her a discount for her first week. 

“You should go introduce yourself. After all, you’ll be working with them quite a bit as a Builder,” Presley said. 

“That’s a good point,” she said. Well, there was no use in beating herself up on not asking sooner. “I’ll head over there now.”

“Ah, make sure to ask Petra first. The director can be a bit… difficult when she’s in the middle of research,” Presley said, with a slight grimace. 

Einsle didn’t find that very reassuring, but still she quickly found herself standing outside of the Research Center anyway. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she was supposed to knock, before pushing her way inside. 

The inside of the building was massive. Test tubes and relics covered most of the available surfaces. Machines beeped and whirred in every direction. Einsle had never seen so many working relics in one place before. 

“Petra!” A woman’s voice shouted from behind one of the machines. A short woman with bob-cut light blue hair wearing goggles poked her head out. Her pale face was covered in black oil smears. “Petra!”

“I’m coming, Merlin,” came the answer from the other side of the room. A young dark-skinned woman hurried from another machine, her long black hair flew haphazardly around her face and her arms were filled with relic pieces. 

The two women worked in a flurry, completely ignoring Einsle’s existence. Unsure if she should bother them, the Builder watched in fascination as they attempted to fix the machine. They worked together like a well oiled machine. 

Finally, they both stepped away from the machine as it whirred to life. Einsle watched expectantly for what would happen after, but both women looked worried as the machine started sparking. The machine let out a high pitched whirrr and then the whole building went dark. 

“Not again!” shouted the blue haired woman. A loud clang followed the exclamation.”Petra, flip the breaker.”

“I’m already on it!” Petra’s voice came from further away. A loud humm preceded the lights suddenly flickering back on. 

“Ugh,” Einsle groaned as the bright light blinded her. 

“Oh!” Petra exclaimed, now realizing that someone else was in the Research Center with them. “Good afternoon. Sorry about all the commotion.”

Merlin completely ignored the situation, already grumbling as she dug into the innards of the now broken machine. Einsle could have guessed that this was the director that Presley had mentioned even if he hadn’t mentioned names. 

“Not a problem. I’m the one coming in unannounced,” Einsle said as she squinted at the other young woman, light spots dancing before her eyes. “I was told to ask you for some diagrams.”

Petra clapped her hands together, excited at the prospect of talking about diagrams and machinery. It wasn’t often anyone beside the Builders or Civil Corps asked them for anything. 

“You must be the new Builder in town, right?” Petra asked, barely giving Einsle any time to respond before continuing on. “It’s so nice to finally see a female Builder in Portia. I’m Petra, an assistant working with Director Merlin.”

“Einsle, uh, Builder Owner of _New Horizons_ ,” Einsle replied, giving Petra a firm handshake. The other woman’s grip was equally firm, belying her small delicate frame. “I look forward to working with ya both.”

“So what are you looking for?” Petra asked. 

“Well, I’m trying to build a bridge and it’s pretty slow going sawing each board by hand, so I was wondering if there was something to make that faster,” Einsle began, pulling out a notepad from her pocket and showing Petra a few sketches she’d made. “Now I also need to handle the rails…”

The two women stood discussing the many needs of the Builder. Every so often, Merlin would interject with her opinion, clearly keeping half an ear on her student’s conversation. Petra pulled out a few diagrams they’d made for other Builders. The two poured over them, excitedly chattering about the designs and specifications. 

By the time they settled on the two diagrams that fit what Einsle was looking for, it was already well into midday. Hunger was beginning to gnaw at her stomach. As she straightened up, the brunette’s back popped loudly. 

“Sorry, our workbenches aren’t really meant for someone of your height,” Petra said, laughing to herself. 

Einsle smiled sheepishly. It wasn’t hard to miss the fact that she towered over Petra and even most of the people she’d met in Portia already. She’d always been tall, a trade she’d inherited from her mother. 

“It’s fine. It was worth it,” Einsle said, before digging into a pouch at her hip. “Presley said you take payment in the form of data discs, right?”

“Oh, yes! The Ancients used these to store data. It’s how we can make diagrams like these,” Petra replied, taking the discs from her hand. She held them up and observed the surfaces of them. “These don’t seem too badly damaged. We might be able to get some good data from them.”

Einsle could hardly believe that anything useful could come from the flimsy discs, but if they could get some use out of it and in return she could get diagrams, then that suited her. 

—

Einsle sighed as she walked back from the Research Center. She hadn’t meant to spend quite so much time there. The best part of the day for working was already gone and it would be much too hot to continue on. She glanced down at the diagrams in her hand. Maybe a trip into the ruins would turn up some things she could use for building her new equipment. 

It wouldn’t hurt to check it out at least. There was quite a bit of usable metal still in the ruins from old buildings and relics. Reusing some of it would help her save on materials and it would add some durability to the machines. The Ancients had built things to last. 

Lost in thought, she mindlessly made her way through town. So it was no surprise when she almost ran down another person. She stopped just in time before colliding with the mayor as he came around the apartments. 

“Ah, there you are, my dear!” Gale greeted her as she almost walked right into him. 

“Oh, Mayor Gale!” She yelped, rocking back on her heels. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry, haha! I’ve been nearly run over by more than a few distracted Builders, your Pa included,” he said, laughing jovially. “I just wanted to let you know that we’ll be having a fireside meeting tonight in front of the Commission Guild and I’d like you to attend. It’s a great way to find out what’s going on in town and introduce yourself to the townsfolk.”

Einsle wondered if it was anything like the town hall meetings in Barnarock. Usually, those were filled with arguing over who had mining rights in which ruins rather than anything informative. Stubborn as a rock was a pretty accurate saying for most Barnarock citizens.

“I’ll do my best to be there!” She said, happy to be included as a new citizen of Portia. 

“Wonderful! It will be tonight at nineteen hundred sharp,” Gale said. “”I’ll be seeing you there.”

“Of course,” Einsle answered, waving goodbye as he headed back to his office. 

That gave her plenty of time to take a quick trip into the ruins and then get started on her diagrams. Tucking her diagrams into her pouch, Einsle darted forward toward the ruins.

——

Finding the materials was the easiest part, but getting them back to the elevator was another matter. Einsle grunted as she dragged a heavy sheet of metal behind her. She’d thought the fairly intact piece would be her best option as a base for her cutter, but it had been resistant to her pickaxe. The only reason she’d got it off the machine it had been part of was thanks to the screws rusting and crumbling away.

The elevator seemed so far away now. The floor she’d chosen had been partially mined already,so it had been easier to locate any structures. Now though, that meant she would have to fly the metal sheet and herself back up to the elevator. 

She paused at the base of the elevator, looking up at it wearily. Would the jet pack even be able to get both her and the sheet up there? Sighing, Einsle adjusted her hold on the metal and activated the jet pack. Slowly, they both rose into the air. 

“Just slow and steady,” she mumbled to herself, gripping the metal sheet so tight that she was sure to have welts on her hands after. For several painstaking minutes, she thought they weren’t getting anywhere, but the light from the elevator began to take over the gloom of the ruins. 

Einsle glanced back quickly, looking for solid ground. Finally, she got up far enough that her feet could reach the elevator platform. With a gasp, she stumbled backwards onto the platform, pulling the metal sheet with her. 

But her arms trembled with exhaustion. The metal sheet was only halfway onto the platform. It slipped a bit from her grip, nearly pulling her over the edge with it. 

“Let it go!” A voice suddenly shouted behind her, but Einsle only tightened her grip, attempting to pull it back onto the platform.

“I need it,” she wheezed in return, not even caring who it was. This was essential for her cutter and she wasn’t about to let it go. 

Arms wrapped around from behind her and grabbed onto the sheet as well, just above her hands. A warm, body pressed against her back and she could feel muscles flexing as they pulled. With their combined strength, the metal sheet finally cleared the edge of the platform. It clanged to the ground and both of them stumbled backwards. 

The hands that had just been helping her, spun her around. The red headed man from her second day in Portia, Arlo, glared down at her, his hands gripping her shoulders. 

“You need to be more careful! What if I hadn’t been here?” He asked, letting her go to run a hand through his hair.

“I needed it for the bridge,” Einsle argued, but her heart wasn't in it. In fact, her heart was still beating wildly from fear. “I didn't really think about what would happen if I fell too.”

Arlo sighed. Her contrite, pale face made it hard to continue to scold her. 

“Listen, one wrong step in the ruins and you’ll have a long trip to the bottom,” he said, a little gentler this time. “A relic isn’t worth your life.”

Einsle nodded, her heartbeat finally starting to slow down. She was extremely lucky that he had been there to catch her. 

“Thanks for helping me,” she said, smiling wanly. “It really is important for building the bridge.”

The Civil Crop captain looked down at the piece of metal. Honestly, he was surprised that she’d managed to get it as far as she did. 

“Just be more careful next time,” he said, bending down to pick up the metal sheet. “Still, I’m impressed you made it that far.”

Her strength was one thing Einsle was proud of. She flexed her arms.

“I’m a lot stronger than you’d think,” she replied, reaching out to take it from him. “Don’t worry I can get it back to my workshop from here.”

Arlo moved the sheet out of her reach. Her surprised expression when her hands met air made him chuckle. 

“It’s my job to protect the people of Portia, so I’ll escort you home,” he said, carrying the sheet over to the elevator and pressing the button to call it back down. 

“I can carry it myself!” Einsle argued, but Arlo ignored her and stepped into the elevator when the doors opened. 

“Well, are you coming?” he asked with a smirk. 

Einsle scrambled into the elevator before it shut and let her in the ruins alone. His cocky smirk was just as infuriating as it had been the first day she met him. 

“Are you always this aggravating?” she asked, wryly. 

He laughed, shifting the metal to rest against the side of the elevator. 

“I’ve been told that a time or two. But I’m the leader of the Civil Corps, so I have to do what's in the citizens’ best interests,” he replied, looking over at her with that devilish smirk. 

“That’s very noble of you,” Einsle quipped back. 

“That’s right. I am a very noble man and I only have one rule: no funny business. So keep it to a minimum from now on,” he said, tapping his knuckles against the metal sheet. 

“Of course. I’m just a simple Builder,” Einsle said, crossing her heart with an innocent expression.

“Somehow I doubt that,” Arlo said, picking up the metal sheet. “Alright, let’s get you home.”

“I told you I can do it myself!” she complained, following after the man. The fear was completely gone now, which she supposed he’d banked on when he’d begun teasing her. That didn’t mean Einsle was going to let him treat her like some delicate flower.

“Hm, that’s not what it looked like to me,” he shot back over his shoulder, already making his way toward the gate.

It felt nice, a little less lonely, to banter with someone. She chased after Arlo arguing with him about who should carry the metal sheet all the way back to _New Horizons._


	4. My New Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Einsle is welcomed into Portia with open arms, but there are still some who aren’t happy to have a new Builder in town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter, but this should be the last of the establishing chapters!
> 
> And for those of you visually inclined, a reference to what Einsle looks like: https://twitter.com/azuzuzuli/status/1123629717603672065?s=20 (Despite looking up how to link on AO3, I guess I suck at links lol.)

_Arlo isn’t such a bad guy_ , Einsle decided as he set the metal sheet against her work bench. He’d carried it all the way down from the ruins to her workshop. It was slightly annoying to be coddled, but he’d been nothing but polite after his initial outburst. He seemed so rough and tumble on the outside, but inside, he was very chivalrous. 

He dusted off his hands and turned back to her. 

“So, what are you doing with it exactly?” he asked, motioning to the metal. 

Einsle reached into their side pouch and pulled out the diagram for the cutter. 

“Well, my plan was to build a-” Einsle started to explain her grand plan when her stomach let out a loud sound. Startled, she dropped the diagram to cradle her stomach. 

Arlo bent down to pick up the diagram, scanning it as he straightened back up. He handed it back with a raised brow. 

“When was the last time you ate?” he asked a little too smugly for Einsle’s taste. 

Grumbling, Einsle tucked the diagram back into her pouch. 

“Sometime this morning, probably,” she said, though actually she couldn’t remember what it was. When she got too focused on a task, she ended up ignoring her body’s needs. Arlo just shook his head. 

“Well, c’mon, let me escort you to The Round Table,” he said, motioning her toward the city gate with an exaggerated bow. “You can’t keep surviving on people’s leftovers.”

“How do you know about that?!” Einsle squawked. It was true that a lot of the people she commissioned also ended up giving her free food along with the commission reward. But how did Arlo know about that?

He laughed at her stunned expression. 

“It’s a small town and people love their gossip,” he said, shrugging, but he still had that cocky smirk on his face. 

Groaning, Einsle gave in. She could use some food anyway. 

“Alright, you win,” she said, sighing. 

———

Einsle slurped on a hearty mouthful of her spaghetti with hot sauce. Beside her, Arlo twirled some seafood noodles onto his fork with a bemused smile. 

“You can take your time,” he said, before taking a bite of his own noodles. 

Swallowing, Einsle shook her head. She had projects to finish after all. The cutter wasn’t going to build itself after all. 

“I can’t slack now,” she said, idly twirling her spaghetti. “I have a lot of work to do if I’m going to make a name for myself here in Portia.” 

Arlo hummed thoughtfully. He could admire her passion. After all, he was doing the same thing. Except for him, he had Sam and Remington to remind him to slow down. He could offer some sage if not slightly hypocritical advice. 

“You’re not going to make it there if you pass out from hungry,” he said, pointing his fork at her. “Or fall to the bottom of the ruins.”

Einsle grumble, glancing away from him. He wasn’t wrong, but did he have to rub it in?

“I haven’t got a working kitchen or anything anyway,” she said, stabbing at a lump noodles. Well, that and she couldn’t cook anything more complicated than scrambled eggs without burning it.

“You should talk to Albert about upgrading your house,” Arlo said with a shrug.

Einsle looked curiously over at him. 

“He and Gust runs A&G Construction. They handle pretty much all of the new housing construction,” he replied to the unspoken question. 

“Oh,” Einsle said, looking thoughtfully down at her plate. The workshop _did_ need more of a touch up than she could do herself. She’d noticed a lot of the wiring and plumbing were a bit out of date. “Thanks, Arlo. That’s twice you’ve helped me today.”

He smirked at her, his red hair falling down over his face to give him an even more smug look that normal. 

“I think you mean, three times,” he said as he placed a handful of Gol on the table next to his empty plate. “I’ve got to get back to work, but take your time.”

Einsle started to stand up in protest, but he slapped a hand on her back before she could get up. 

“Consider it thanks for taking on the bridge commission,” he said, nodding a Django as he came to take away the payment and dishes. “See you later.”

Sauntering away, Arlo waved one hand lazily as he headed out the door. 

Einsle managed a few inarticulate syllables that were almost a goodbye, but he was gone before he could hear it. Behind the counter, Django chuckled at her. 

“Don’t you worry about it. That’s just how the captain is,” he said as he cleared away the dishes. “He seems to be warming up to you.”

“Or babying me,” she complained, but after he’d kept her from completely wiping out in the ruins, she couldn’t really blame him. Django just laughed again.

“It’s his duty to look after Portia citizens. Don’t take it too hard,” he said, whisking away to deposit the dish ware into the sink. 

Einsle looked down at her nearly empty plate of noodles. A Portia citizen, huh? Well, she could live with it for now as long as he didn’t think she was some damsel in distress. 

_No use dawdling,_ she mentally scolded herself. She had a lot to finish before the fireside meeting tonight. The mayor had asked her to come himself, so she couldn’t let him down. 

——— 

Just before 19:00, Einsle found herself waiting outside of the Commerce Guild surrounded by an ever growing crowd of Portians. She wiped her hands against her pants, trying vainly to dry her damp palms. Would he call her up in front of everyone? What should she say?

A few familiar faces stood out in the crowd, but it was Emily who came to offer her support to the nervous Builder. The blonde sidled up with a comforting smile.

“Hey there, you look a little pale,” she said, leaning close to whisper. 

Einsle gave her a meek smile. She wasn’t used to being the one in the spotlight. 

“Well, the mayor did say he wanted to introduce me,” Einsle said, pushing her bangs from her face. 

“Ohh, yeah,” Emily said, wincing empathetically. “Well, everyone in town is really nice.”

“Not that Higgins guys,” Einsle grumbled, which caused Emily to laugh. 

“He’s always been a sourpuss. He came out to fix our windmill and it was dreadful,” Emily whispered, glancing around surreptitiously. But Higgins was standing as far as he could get from the new Builder without leaving the crowd. 

With a grimace, Einsle glanced over at him. She could imagine how that went considering his bad attitude had been when she’d gotten her license. It would serve him right to find out she’d been commissioned to build the Amber Island bridge. 

A murmur rippled through the crowd as the mayor made his way up the steps of the Guild. Conversations died down as everyone turned their attention to him. His gaze swept across the crowd and found Einsle. With a small smile, the meeting began. 

Einsle tuned the boring opening bits out. A blonde man in front of her seemed to be doing the same. In fact, she suspected that he might be falling asleep where he stood. She was sure that a panbat infestation was something to be concerned about, but she didn’t even know what it was. Einsle was inclined to doze off herself if Emily didn’t nudge her in the side.

“I think it’s your turn,” she whispered as the mayor suddenly turned his attention in their direction. 

“Now, as you all know if you attended last week’s fireside, we have a new Builder in Portia! Everyone, please give Einsle and her work shop, New Horizons, a warm welcome,” he said, gesturing to her. Heads turned to get a glimpse of her and a smattering of applause rippled through the crowd. 

Sheepishly, Einsle waved to the faces looking at her. This was awkward. 

“Einsle will be handling the reconstruction of the Amber Island bridge. I have utmost confidence in her skills,” he said, much to the delight of the crowd. The applause picked up a notch. Most of the chatter was excitement to be able to get across again, but Higgin’s shout of dismay was just barely audible. 

Einsle gave herself a moment of satisfaction in being the cause of his consternation. He more than deserved it for being a jerk. 

“On a final note, we have an exciting project coming up! We’ll be building a dee dee transportation system soon,” the mayor said, trying to bring the crowd’s attention back to him. “Over the next month, I’ll being securing funding. Donations are always welcome.”

This announcement caused a stir in the crowd. Some cheered for the public transport, but Einsle heard more than a few grumbles about donations from the crowd. She didn’t really see the problem. Barnarock was a city that was built in layers in the sandstone cliffs. A transport system had been a must to get around. She supposed though that Portia was much quainter and the walks through town were lovely. 

“Uh oh, Higgins is coming,” Emily suddenly hissed into her ear, pulling on her arm. 

Wide eyed, Einsle caught a glimpse at the other Builder storming through the crowd toward them as Emily pulled her away. The duo slipped through the crowd, giggling to themselves. On the outskirts of the crowd, Einsle spotted a familiar red-head. 

Arlo raised an inquisitive brow at the two of them as they stumbled their way out of the fireside meeting crowd. 

“And just what are you two up?” He asked, shifting his weight and crossing his arms to better convey his dubiousness. Breathlessly, Einsle laughed. 

“Hey!” Higgins shouted behind them. Einsle looked back him and then to Arlo.

“Sorry, got to go!” She said, grabbing Emily’s hand and sprinting for the gate. The blonde woman laughed as they pounded the pavement. Behind them, Arlo intercepted Higgins.

“Ah, Higgins, just who I wanted to see…”

The two women didn’t stop running until their were in front of _New Horizons._

“Hah… Hah… Did you see the look on his face?” Einsle asked between gulps of air. 

“He was so angry,” Emily said, laughing breathlessly. 

They shared a look before breaking into helpless giggles. By now the sun had set and the moon was rising into the sky. Einsle wiped tears from her eyes and straightened up. 

“That was fun,” she said, smiling widely at the blonde. “We should do it again.”

“No Higgins next time,” Emily said, shaking her head. 

“Deal,” Einsle replied, holding out her hand. The two women shook on it, trying to keep solemn faces, but both just burst into giggles again.


End file.
